"Two Reasons For Destruction"

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Hosea 4:6

There were two reasons why the Lord had a controversy with His people; these two reasons would bring their destruction. 1) Their lack of knowledge. The priest were not teaching them God's word or commandments, therefore, they were ignorant of God. Ignorance, especially of the Lord, His will and His ways, will lead to destruction. 2) The word that they did have, they rejected. This second one is the one I want to address this morning.

When we reject God's word, it will lead to destruction. One way is that it will open the door to the enemy of fear, doubt, confusion and unbelief. Without the word of God you have nothing to "fight" the enemy with so you fall prey to it by believing what it says. (Believing the lies of the enemy will destroy you.) Rejection of God's word also shows lack of faith- without faith it is impossible to please God and faith is the very foundation upon which we build our lives (we walk by faith, and the just shall live by faith).

How do we reject His word? Primarily by not believing what He says. But also we reject it when we don't heed it, obey it, pattern our lives after it and live by it. When we turn from God's word to our own ways, from following it and following our own desires, when we take it for granted as if it doesn't matter or apply to us, then we are rejecting it.

Jesus addressed this in the Sermon on the Mount in His story of the wise man who built his house upon the rock and foolish man who built his house upon the sand. The wise man was the one who had God's word as the foundation of his life and lived according to it. (This man was living by faith.) The wise man did not reject God's word, therefore, when the storms (the enemy) came he was not destroyed. His acceptance of God's word (faith) and application of it in his life kept him from destruction.

What are you doing with God's word? Are you rejecting it? Or are you living your life by it, making it the very foundation upon which your life is built?

Have a great day. When we accept and live by God's word, we will not be destroyed.

For further reading:
Habakkuk 2:4
Romans 1:17
Galatians 3:11
Hebrews 10:38
2 Corinthians 5:7
Matthew 7:24-27

"It Was For Joy"

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

"Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross." What was the joy that was set before Jesus? Was it the suffering- He knew it was coming? Was it the shame that He would be subjected to? Was it the beating that He was going to have to endure? As an onlooker of the cross, what was there that He could have had joy about? There was nothing about it that even slightly resembled joy. It was a place of death, sorrow, grief and pain. Oh, but Jesus saw something more.

Jesus lived His life by faith just as we do- faith in His Father's word. By faith, He knew that what He would do at the cross would open up the door to make a way for us to now have access into the Father's presence and to live with Him forever. He knew that we could be reconciled to Him through His sacrifice at the cross.

He also knew that His suffering at the cross was the will of the Father. Doing His Father's will brought Him great joy because He knew how much the Father loves us and longs for us to be reconciled back to Himself. The thought of us living with Him in His house, the thought of pleasing the Father by doing His will, knowing how much the Father longed to have us as sons and daughters and that through what He would do at the cross it would become possible, this was the joy that He saw surrounding the cross. This was the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross in order to obtain it. To Him, the joy outweighed the pain, shame and suffering.

Each time one of us accept Him as Savior and make Him Lord of our lives, His joy is again fulfilled. Has His joy been fulfilled in you?

Have a great day. The joy of doing the Father's will, the joy of providing the way for the Father's desire to be fulfilled, and the joy of making it possible for us to be able to live with Him forever gave Jesus the strength to endure the cross.

For further reading:
2 Corinthians 5:18
Luke 22:42
Hebrews 10:9
John 3:16; 1:12
1 John 3:1

"How To Glorify God?"

"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." John 17:4

I was recently asked, "How do you glorify God?" This person was referring to doing some sort of work or service for the Lord. The Bible tells us that when Jesus healed the sick, cast out devils and raised the dead that the people rejoiced and glorified God. It also tells us that when our lights are shining brightly, others will see our good works and glorify God. But what about the days when we don't do any "works"? Some days there are no opportunities for ministry. So does that mean that we have done nothing to glorify God that day? Working for the Lord is not the only way of glorifying God.

Another way we glorify God is by accepting His Son Jesus as our Savior. When we put our trust and faith in what He did for us at the cross, when we have surrendered our lives to Him, when we are following Him, He is being glorified in our lives. In Jesus' prayer in the garden before He was arrested and taken to the cross, He said His hour had come and asked for the Father to glorify Him with the same glory He had before and that what He was about to do would glorify the Father. What was He about to do and how would it glorify the Father? Jesus was talking about paying the price for the sins of mankind once and for all. And through His death on the cross the Father would receive glory because many sons and daughters could come into His Kingdom.

So, yes, the Father is glorified when we do the works that point others to Him, but the Father is also glorified because our faith is in His Son. He is glorified because we believe on and in what He did for us. So on those days when it seems as if I am doing "nothing" for Him, this new life that I have received through faith in Jesus glorifies Him because it is a testimony to what He did for me.

Have a great day. Your faith in Jesus brings glory to the Father.

For further reading:
Matthew 9:7
John 12:27,28; 13:31,32; 15:7-9; 17:1-6

"Why Is He Silent?"

"Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath said..." Jeremiah 40:3a

I was talking with someone the other day and they were concerned because the Lord was not speaking to them about a certain situation that they were going through. They were seeking Him for the truth so that they would know what they should do. But wasn't hearing from Him. The more I talked to this person I discovered that when the situation first started they went to the Lord about it and He gave them the answer and told them what to do. Now as they are seeking Him about it, He is being silent and not saying anything so they are disturbed by His silence on the matter.

As I told them, the Lord is silent because He has already told them what to do. They are seeking the answer and He has already given it to them. They are waiting for Him to speak and He already has, so He is not going to speak to them again about this matter. At this point whatever He would say would only be repeating Himself.

Like this precious person we don't always know how to interpret God's silence. But one interpretation is the same one as in this person's case- God is silent because He has already told them what to do. What is left is not for God to continually repeat Himself but for them to listen, believe Him and do what He has already said. Why should He tell us anything else, why should He continue to speak, what else is there for Him to say when He has already said it?

If the Lord is being silent to you about a situation, stop and think for a moment to see if He has already spoken to you about it. If He has, then there's the answer you have been waiting for and He is not going to keep telling you over and over again- or tell you something different. In His silence He is waiting for you to do, or believe and receive, what He has already said, then He will speak something else to you after that.

Have a great day. One interpretation of God's silence is-- He has already told you so He has nothing else to say and He is not going to keep repeating Himself.

For further reading:
James 1:22
Acts 4:4

"I Understand"

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15

When we know someone who is going through a trying time, a time of hardship, grief or a trial, in trying to help comfort that person we often say to them, "I understand". When we say we understand, we can mean it in one of two ways. First, we understand what they are going through because we have been through it too. We are acquainted through personal experience with what they are going through. We have walked in those same shoes. When we say, "I understand", but don't have a clue what it "feels" like, what we really mean is that we understand why this trial is so difficult, why you are hurting, why you feel as if you can't go on.
For example, I don't "understand" through experience what it is like to lose a child. But I do "understand" why someone who has would be devastated. It would have to be one of the greatest hurts you could experience. I don't understand "what" they are feeling, but I "understand" why.

I said all this to say that even though we may not "understand" through experience or have first "hand knowledge" of what someone else is suffering, there is one who does. He understands on a personal level. He understands it all. There is nothing that we will face or go through that He doesn't understand. His name is Jesus. Jesus is touched by the feelings of your weaknesses in a deep and personal way because He has more than just a "head knowledge understanding" of the hurt, the pain or the sorrow that you are experiencing.

You may be going through a grievous time this morning. There may be those who are trying to comfort and encourage you. Some of them understand because they have gone through the same thing, some of them have a sympatric understanding only, but remember there is one who has both- the understanding of where you are because He has been there and the understanding compassion of why this is not an easy thing for you. Look to Him this morning and let Him comfort you because He understands it all.

Have a great day. When Jesus says He understands- He understands personally from experience and from a sympatric understanding.

For further reading:
Isaiah 53
Psalm 103:13,14